There are many analysis tools available in the market that lay hold of the “RBI” claim. I wanted to bring you, the reader, “up to speed” on some of the available technology based on my experience as an RBI project manager, client manager and member of the American Petroleum Institute committee and working group compiling the RBI Recommended Practice 580.

I will cover implementation and success issues, too. These experiences have been garnered in both the refining and chemical industries. I hope this will help you choose the technology that is best suited for your organization and help you develop robust integrated work processes. There are some practitioners who have invested the time and money to perform RBI analyses that aren’t using the output or aren’t using it to their maximum advantage. Hopefully, these articles will provide insight for better innovation of the technology.

About the Author

Greg Alvarado possesses over 40 years of experience in the chemical, petrochemical and oil and gas industries. His roles have included positions as an owner operator, consultant, Chief Chemist, and Corrosion/Materials/NDE applications engineer. He has specialized in risk based inspection consulting, training, mentoring, RBI program gap assessment and project management since 1996.... Read more »

Industrial Rope Access is a proven method of achieving a safe work position at elevated heights or areas that are difficult to access. When combined with advanced NDE technologies, rope access technicians can substantially reduce the cost of inspections and maintenance activities by virtually eliminating the need for fixed scaffolding.